Lost in Translation: N.J. Lawmakers and Higher Ed Try to Understand Each Other

Bill Wittkop for New Jersey City U.

Sue Henderson, president of New Jersey City U., says she’s “willing to have a discussion about a tuition freeze.” But such a freeze, without any additional state appropriations, would force colleges to make significant changes in their business model, she says.

Sue Henderson, president of New Jersey City U., says she’s “willing to have a discussion about a tuition freeze.” But such a freeze, without any additional state appropriations, would force colleges to make significant changes in their business model, she says.

By Eric Kelderman

State lawmakers and college officials often seem to talk past
one another and speak different languages when they debate
higher-education policy.

A good example of the pattern is in New Jersey, where
Assemblywoman Celeste M. Riley, a Democrat who leads her chamber’s
higher-education committee, has introduced a wide-ranging package
of 20 bills aimed at cutting the costs of attending college and
making public, private, and for-profit institutions more
accountable for student